Chicago Marathon 2026 Results: Kipruto Wins in 2:01:09 and Feysa Repeats
The Chicago Marathon 2026 results came on Sunday, October 11, in one of the fastest editions in the race’s history, with more than 54,000 participants. Amos Kipruto finally won Chicago in 2:01:09, Hawi Feysa defended her title in 2:13:33, and Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner set a wheelchair world record. Here is what happened, checked against the official race press release and the World Athletics report.
Chicago Marathon 2026 results
| Place | Men | Time | Women | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amos Kipruto (Kenya) | 2:01:09 | Hawi Feysa (Ethiopia) | 2:13:33 |
| 2 | Tadese Bikila (Ethiopia) | 2:02:56 | Sharon Lokedi (Kenya) | 2:14:07 |
| 3 | Milkesa Mengesha (Ethiopia) | 2:03:46 | Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) | 2:14:55 |
| 4 | Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda) | 2:04:18 | Mary Ngugi-Cooper (Kenya) | 2:17:23 |
Kipruto wins at the third attempt
Before the Chicago Marathon 2026 results, Kipruto had finished third in Chicago in 2024 and second in 2025. This time the lead group went out on pace for the course record, Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 from 2023, and passed halfway in 1:00:21 with six men together. By 25 km four were left, and the race became a duel between Kipruto and defending champion Jacob Kiplimo, who tried to break it open around 1:17:30. Kipruto was the only one to respond and pulled away after mile 21. Kiplimo picked up a hamstring problem, according to World Athletics, and finished fourth.
Kipruto’s 2:01:09 takes 30 seconds off the personal best he set in London in April. It is the second fastest marathon ever run on U.S. soil and puts him equal fifth on the world all-time list with Eliud Kipchoge, who ran the same time in Berlin in 2022, when it was the world record. It is Kipruto’s second World Marathon Majors win, after London 2022.
After the race, Kipruto said he came in ready precisely because he had been on the podium in the two previous editions, and that in the marathon the mind leads and the body follows.
Feysa defends her title as three women break 2:15
The women’s race also went out very fast. Feysa and Kosgei went with the pacers, while Sharon Lokedi, a two-time Boston champion making her Chicago debut, held back and caught them around 20 km. The three passed halfway in 1:06:06, on 2:12 pace. From 30 km it was Feysa against Lokedi, and Feysa broke away with a mile to go to win by 34 seconds.
Feysa’s 2:13:33 improves her 2025 best by 84 seconds and makes her the fourth fastest woman in history. Lokedi, in 2:14:07, moves to eighth. With Kosgei third in 2:14:55, it was the first marathon in which three women broke 2:15.
The Americans and Galen Rupp’s masters record
Among the Chicago Marathon 2026 results, the organizers highlighted three U.S. performances:
- Emma Grace Hurley, in her first marathon, finished seventh in 2:20:47, the fastest debut ever by an American woman.
- Clayton Young ran 2:05:23 and is now the second fastest American man ever. Charles Hicks was just behind in 2:05:35.
- Galen Rupp, at 40, finished in 2:06:55 and broke the American masters record by more than three minutes.
Rupp’s run stood out most to me. An Olympic medalist in 2012 and 2016, he is still running under 2:07 as a masters athlete, a time very few runners of any age reach. If you race in masters categories, as I do on the track, it shows what a long, well managed career allows.
A wheelchair world record
The wheelchair races produced some of the best Chicago Marathon 2026 results. Catherine Debrunner led alone from the start and won in 1:33:16, 60 seconds faster than her own world record. It is the first wheelchair world record ever set in Chicago and her third win in the race. In the men’s wheelchair race Marcel Hug took his seventh Chicago title with a course record.
What the Chicago Marathon 2026 results mean for recreational runners
The Chicago Marathon 2026 results confirmed its reputation as a flat, fast course, the same one thousands of runners use to qualify for Boston: the 2025 edition was the second biggest source of qualifiers for the 2027 Boston Marathon cutoff. Two lessons apply at any level:
- Lokedi did not follow the pacers in the first half, caught the leaders at 20 km and finished second with a huge personal best. It is the same principle as a negative split: save energy early so you do not pay for it late.
- Vincent Mauri went through halfway on American record pace and cramped around mile 21. Starting faster than your fitness allows costs more time than it gains, as I explain in the article on hitting the wall.
How to run the Chicago Marathon in 2027
The 49th edition will be held on Sunday, October 10, 2027. Applications for guaranteed and non-guaranteed entries are open until Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 2 p.m. Central Time. The Chicago Marathon guide covers the requirements, the time standards for guaranteed entry and how the drawing works, and the World Marathon Majors guide covers the whole circuit.
FAQ
Who won the Chicago Marathon 2026?
According to the official Chicago Marathon 2026 results, Amos Kipruto (Kenya) won the men’s race in 2:01:09. Hawi Feysa (Ethiopia), the 2025 champion, won the women’s race in 2:13:33.
Was the course record broken?
Looking at the Chicago Marathon 2026 results, not in the men’s race: the record is still Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 from 2023. There was a men’s wheelchair course record (Marcel Hug) and a women’s wheelchair world record (Catherine Debrunner, 1:33:16).
When is the 2027 Chicago Marathon?
Sunday, October 10, 2027. Applications close on October 29, 2026.
